Guitarist Andy LaRocque, best known for his work with King Diamond, is featured in a new interview with Guitar World. Following is an excerpt from the chat.

Guitar World: What led to your joining King Diamond?

LaRocque: "I knew (original drummer) Mikkey Dee back in the early ‘80s. He’d moved down to Copenhagen in Denmark with a different band, then ended up in King Diamond. He called me one day saying, ‘Andy, we need a guitarist. You need to come down here, like now!’ I was working at a music store in Gothenburg, Sweden, so I quit my job the day after, took my guitar and went to Copenhagen. That same day, I did the audition and played a song called 'Dressed In White' from the first album (Fatal Portrait), and after that they said, ‘Welcome to the band!’”

Guitar World: What was your vision from a guitar perspective?

LaRocque: “When I first heard the music, I thought it was great because I had always been interested in darker, dramatic music with horror elements. I liked and was inspired by that neoclassical style, so I thought, ‘Oh, wow, this seems like a perfect combination of all those things.’”

Guitar World: And of your King Diamond and Death output, is there a solo that best represents you?

LaRocque: “This one is easy: 'Welcome Home' from the album, Them (1988). I was inspired when I got into the studio – I had some new guitars and new amps, and I was on fire during that solo. 'Welcome Home' turned out great! It combines the fast stuff with the melody, which is important. It sounds good to me still; I’ve always been happy with it.”

Read the complete interview here.

Christmas time is here again! King Diamond's "No Presents For Christmas" was originally released in 1985 and now Metal Blade Records is reissuing this 2-track classic on vinyl, just in time for Black Friday.

"No Presents For Christmas" features new cover art and is available worldwide in two new vinyl colors. Side 1 features the title track, "No Presents For Christmas" and Side 2 features "Charon" (from Fatal Portrait). In honor of the release, the band has also worked with their US merch company to offer a lithograph signed by King Diamond himself.

Here's what King had to say: "We are very happy to make 'No Presents For Christmas' available on vinyl again, and with a brand new cover! Livia worked on the glass mansion on the cover - it's a mansion she designed that I just loved and said we must use this for something! The cover came out exactly how we wanted it to, and it looks like something you would find in the Christmas albums aisle alongside Frank Sinatra. It has the Christmas feeling, but with something dark and sinister when you examine it more closely. I look like a ghost - the ghost of trying to destroy Christmas! This is the first King Diamond song that was ever released and was originally performed live back in December of 1985, it's very special to us and we hope you enjoy 'No Presents For Christmas' as much as we do!"

Fans worldwide can find the vinyl at metalblade.com/kingdiamond and North American fans can grab the signed lithograph at here. King's even curated a shirt for you to wear to all of your Holiday festivities at store.kingdiamondcoven.com (US) and eustore.kingdiamondcoven.com (EU).

US Variant : Black / White Melt

EU Variant: White with Red Splatter

Release lineup:

King Diamond - vocals, guitars
Andy LaRocque - guitars
Michael Denner - guitars
Timi Hansen - bass
Mikkey Dee - drums

In other King Diamond news, the band recently released a music video for the single "Masquerade Of Madness" with David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals. Watch below:

Photo: Andy LaRocque